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Obama: ‘I’d Join A Union’

MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - SEPTEMBER 1: U.S. President Barack Obama speaks during Laborfest 2014 at Henry Maier Festival Park September 1, 2014 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Obama again called for the raising of the minimum wage. (Photo by Tom Lynn/Getty Images)

MILWAUKEE (CBSDC/AP) — President Barack Obama says he’ll press Congress to raise the minimum wage in the same way he courted his wife — never taking no for an answer.

Obama brought a buoyant Labor Day message to Wisconsin, telling union members on Monday that he sees, quote, “engines are revving a little louder” in an economy coming back from a near-depression five years ago.

Now, he says, quote, “America deserves a raise.” He promises his administration will keep pushing for one.

Obama told the crowd to great applause that he would join a union for job security.

“If i were looking for a good job that lets me build some security for my family, I’d join a union. If I were busting my butt in the service industry and wanted an honest day’s pay for an honest day’s work, I’d join a union,” Obama said. “If i were a firefighter or a police officer risking my life and helping to keep my community safe, and wanting to make sure I come home safely to my family, I’d join a union. I’d want a union looking out for me.”

He adds that if Republicans gain control of Congress after November’s elections, they will hurt the chances for a higher federal minimum wage.

The president cracked that the struggle resembles his hard sell when Michelle agreed to marry him. Obama says, quote, “I just wore her down.”